🔗 Fanatics Next Target, Youth Sports
Via: Source
Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball tournament and scouting service, is expected to officially agree soon on a multi-year memorabilia deal with Fanatics for an undisclosed amount. The deal involves Fanatics producing and distributing trading cards, collectibles and other memorabilia of Perfect Game athletes beginning later this year.
While it’s seen as a landmark deal for Perfect Game, the contract has stoked worries among a group of baseball agents, many of whom believe Perfect Game’s requirement that amateur players sign away their name, image and likeness rights to participate in tournaments is exploitative, unethical and costing players future earnings.
Fanatics is a gross company that is quickly becoming a monopoly in the sports apparel world (FTC while I applaud your actions vs tech companies, found another for you). Now they are targeting youth sports, and asking them to sign over rights. Youth sports is already in a bad place where costs are out of control, but this seems like a really big step into a worse place.